East-West Forum | Panel 2 | From Great Power Rivalry to a New Security Order: Is a Peaceful Transition Possible? Moderator Prof. Hasan Ünal Speakers Prof. Zhou Bo Daniel Davis Michael von der Schulenburg Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov Ali Asghar Soltanieh First Commentator Roger Köppel The East-West Forum, held in Istanbul on September 26, brought together leading academics, analysts, diplomats, and journalists from different regions of the world. Hosted by Harici Media and co-organized with the European Transcontinental Initiative (ETI), the Forum provided a platform to discuss the changing global order, emerging security challenges, and the risks of escalating geopolitical confrontation. The second panel focused on how tensions between the West and BRICS or Global South countries could spiral out of control amid the weakening of diplomacy, arms-control mechanisms, and communication channels, as well as the growing role of artificial intelligence, drones, and new military technologies. The speakers discussed the prospects for a new Eurasian security architecture, possible diplomatic solutions to the war in Ukraine, Europe’s future security role, the transformation of the United Nations system, and the evolving relationship between the United States and China. The discussion also addressed Iran’s role in Southwest Asia, the future of US military bases in the Middle East, the prospects for regional stability in the Gulf, and the reconstruction of sovereign statehood in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine within a broader regional peace framework. A central question throughout the panel was how a more multipolar international order could be institutionalized peacefully without abandoning the principles of the UN Charter or triggering a wider global war. You can watch the full second panel of the East-West Forum in this video.
[ H/T Daniel Davis / Deep Dive ]